Tech Collective launches employer-incentive programs

PROVIDENCE – The Tech Collective plans to develop two new pilot programs to provide funds to local information technology and bioscience employers for hiring “underemployed” workers, the technology association announced Tuesday.

Tech Collective intends to use the $94,000 it was recently awarded from the Governor’s Workforce Board of Rhode Island to launch the initiative.

The programs focus on post-employment training of new hires and fellowships for 2012 graduates of Rhode Island colleges and universities at local IT or bioscience employers.

The objective for the new hire, post-employment training program is to “assist employers with open positions that they may not be able to fill because prospective candidates lack the skills needed to effectively carry out the job responsibilities,” according to the release.

If a local employer finds an unemployed candidate for an open position – but the candidate needs one or two more skills to meet the qualification requirements – the company would qualify to receive reimbursement of any training completed during the first 4 months of employment.

“These training funds would be an incentive for the company to hire the under-skilled, unemployed person,” said the statement.

The fellowship program intends to address the “brain-drain” in the Ocean State by connecting graduating college students with employers before they leave the state to find a job, providing paid work experience for graduates and providing employers with incentives to consider inexperienced graduates to fill currently open positions.

Participating employers will host fellows for an 8-week experimental learning experience during the summer of 2012.

Tech Collective plans to recruit graduates from all Rhode Island colleges and universities.

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